Cardboard Building

A project to test the sustainability of cardboard, made almost entirely from recycled material, in providing Westborough Primary School in Westcliff-on-Sea with a much-needed, permanent educational and community space.

The aim was to use 90% recycled and recyclable materials to provide a stimulating play space with an inspiring structure.

The structural possibilities of cardboard were explored through origami and the intrinsic strengths of a folded structure.

The school community was involved with the project from the outset, which both exposed the children to the issue of sustainable construction, and fostered a sense of ownership and pride in their environment which extends to the local community.

Construction/life cycle performance

Walls and roof are constructed from load-bearing and insulating timber edged (composite) cardboard panels. Cardboard tubes are used as structural columns and palisade walls. Much of the rest of the building uses recycled building products. The cardboard building is designed to last for 20 years

Waste reduction

Manufacturing the panels off-site reduced the amount of waste, and much of the material in the factory is recycled.

Energy performance

The cardboard panels, with their closed cells of air are inherently good thermal insulators and the building has good thermal and acoustic performance.

Cost

The total cost was £177,157 including fees, research time, and prototype testing. The building is 90sqm. As much of the cost was offset by donations from manufacturers and suppliers, a realistic cost per sqm cannot be given.

The project was jointly funded by the research partners, the Cory Environmental Trust in Southend-on-Sea and the DETR through the Partners in Innovation programme.

Energy consumption

It is too early to be able to quantify the energy performance of the building, but calculations suggest that the wall and ceiling U values are around 0.3W/m²K.